Trying Something New
Typically I gravitate towards photographing natural subjects - landscapes, flowers, animals - but recently street photography has really interested me, especially since I picked up a new film camera a few weeks ago. I love the look and feel of street photography, but the thought of taking photos on a busy street, or worse, taking a photo with someone in it, makes me anxious.
After watching several Youtube videos trying to build up my confidence (this one by Faizal Westcott was my favourite), I knew I wanted to challenge myself to try this new style. So when I woke up on Saturday morning and saw a bright blue sky, something in my gut told me to head to Chinatown and take some shots. It was early, it wouldn't be busy, the lighting would be great, and the cherry blossoms were out - so I grabbed both my cameras and ran out the door.
Shot on Canon RP at 73mm using Canon's 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM lens.
Shot on Canon RP at 82mm using Canon's 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM lens.
Using Reflections
I headed to Chinatown with the intent of capturing a small grocer setting up their sidewalk stands with produce. I just didn't know how to get the shots... *que reflections*. As I walked down the sidewalk I glanced into a store window and noticed a clear reflection of the shops across the street highlighted by the morning sun and knew this was what I was looking for. Not only did using the reflections remove any nerves I had about photographing strangers, but the windows also acted as a natural frame and added visual interest to the image that wouldn't be there otherwise.
My advice: if you're like me and feel uncomfortable pointing your camera at a scene that has people in it, look around you and see if there is anything you can use to capture that scene in a less direct way; shoot through a window, use the reflection of a puddle or a glass door. The results may surprise you.
Shot on Canon RP at 48mm using Canon's 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM lens.
Shot on Canon RP at 85mm using Canon's 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM lens.
Film Favourites
This is the first roll of film I shot on my Canon AE1 Program. I've never shot film manually before, but I followed the Sunny 16 method for light metering and gave it my best shot. When I took in this roll of Kodak Portra 400 to get developed, I had no idea if any of these images would turn out. I honestly didn't even know if the camera worked properly at this point, so the anticipation I felt was next level. The results aren't perfect, but I'm pretty pleased with them nonetheless. Here are a few of my favourites.
Digital vs Film
This impromptu shoot also ended up being a fun exercise to compare a few things:
- The look of digital vs film (the warm colours of the Kodak Portra 400 film did not disappoint)
- Using a fixed focal length lens vs a zoom one and seeing what focal lengths I tend to shoot at when given the freedom
- How the focal length of the lens impacted how I framed the photo
Shot on Canon RP at 70mm using Canon's 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM lens.
Shot on Canon AE1 Program at 50mm using Kodak Portra 400.
Shot on Canon RP at 50mm using Canon's 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM lens.
Shot on Canon AE1 Program at 50mm using Kodak Portra 400.
Shot on Canon RP at 70mm using Canon's 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM lens.
Shot on Canon AE1 Program at 50mm using Kodak Portra 400.
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading and thanks for being here! This blog is a bit of a passion project for me at the moment and I can't wait to share more posts like this soon.
-Amanda
